A Method for Analyzing the Spatial Relationship between Two Different Distributions of Line Objects and the Implementation of its Software

Abstract

This paper first defines a function (called the cross M-function) that measures similarity between two distributions of line objects in terms of the intersection area of the buffer zones generated by the two distributions with respect to the width of the buffer zones. Second, the cross M-function for the distribution generated by random lines is obtained. The comparison between an observed cross M-function and its expected cross M-function indicates the degree of the similarity. Third, computational methods for the cross M-function method are developed, and they are implemented into a user-friendly tool.